- A
Use AWS Glue Python shell job to replace Lambda
Why wrong: Glue shell jobs have a 1-hour timeout but incur additional cost and complexity.
- B
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes
Lambda allows up to 15 minutes, and 5 minutes is sufficient for 100 MB. No code changes needed.
- C
Use Amazon ECS with AWS Fargate to run the processing task
Why wrong: Fargate adds complexity and cost; not necessary for this scale.
- D
Configure an SQS queue to buffer the S3 events and batch them
Why wrong: Batching does not help if individual files cause timeout; it would only delay the issue.
Question 569 of 1,755
MLS-C01 Data Engineering Practice Question
This MLS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of data engineering. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A data pipeline uses AWS Lambda to process small files (10-50 MB) from an S3 bucket and write results to DynamoDB. The Lambda function times out after 15 seconds for larger files. The team wants to handle files up to 100 MB without changing the Lambda code. Which solution is MOST cost-effective?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes
Option B is correct because increasing the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes directly addresses the 15-second timeout issue for larger files (up to 100 MB) without requiring any code changes. This is the most cost-effective solution as it avoids additional infrastructure costs (e.g., Glue, ECS, SQS) and leverages Lambda's existing pay-per-execution pricing model, which remains economical for occasional longer-running invocations.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use AWS Glue Python shell job to replace Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Glue shell jobs have a 1-hour timeout but incur additional cost and complexity.
- ✓
Increase the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes
Why this is correct
Lambda allows up to 15 minutes, and 5 minutes is sufficient for 100 MB. No code changes needed.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Amazon ECS with AWS Fargate to run the processing task
Why it's wrong here
Fargate adds complexity and cost; not necessary for this scale.
- ✗
Configure an SQS queue to buffer the S3 events and batch them
Why it's wrong here
Batching does not help if individual files cause timeout; it would only delay the issue.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume Lambda is unsuitable for larger files or longer processing times, leading them to over-engineer with services like Glue or ECS, when simply increasing the timeout is the most cost-effective and minimal-change solution.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Lambda functions have a maximum configurable timeout of 15 minutes (900 seconds) for synchronous invocations, so increasing to 5 minutes is well within limits. The 15-second default timeout is a common source of failures for file processing tasks, especially when dealing with larger payloads or slower downstream writes (e.g., DynamoDB write capacity limits). In real-world scenarios, teams often overlook that Lambda's timeout can be adjusted per function in the console or via AWS CLI (update-function-configuration) without code changes, making it the fastest and cheapest fix.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Data Engineering — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Data Engineering practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All MLS-C01 questions
1,755 questions across all exam domains
- →
AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty MLS-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
MLS-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related MLS-C01 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Data Engineering practice questions
Practise MLS-C01 questions linked to Data Engineering.
Machine Learning Implementation and Operations practice questions
Practise MLS-C01 questions linked to Machine Learning Implementation and Operations.
Modeling practice questions
Practise MLS-C01 questions linked to Modeling.
Exploratory Data Analysis practice questions
Practise MLS-C01 questions linked to Exploratory Data Analysis.
MLS-C01 fundamentals practice questions
Practise MLS-C01 questions linked to MLS-C01 fundamentals.
MLS-C01 scenario practice questions
Practise MLS-C01 questions linked to MLS-C01 scenario.
MLS-C01 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise MLS-C01 questions linked to MLS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free MLS-C01 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this MLS-C01 question test?
Data Engineering — This question tests Data Engineering — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes — Option B is correct because increasing the Lambda function timeout to 5 minutes directly addresses the 15-second timeout issue for larger files (up to 100 MB) without requiring any code changes. This is the most cost-effective solution as it avoids additional infrastructure costs (e.g., Glue, ECS, SQS) and leverages Lambda's existing pay-per-execution pricing model, which remains economical for occasional longer-running invocations.
What should I do if I get this MLS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More MLS-C01 practice questions
- A company needs to transfer 10 TB of data from an on-premises data center to Amazon S3. The network bandwidth is limited…
- A company is using Amazon Kinesis Data Streams to ingest real-time clickstream data. The data is consumed by a Lambda fu…
- A team is building a data pipeline to process terabytes of log data daily using Amazon EMR. The data arrives in 5-minute…
- A data science team is building a real-time fraud detection system. Transactions are streamed via Amazon Kinesis Data St…
- A company uses Amazon SageMaker to train and deploy machine learning models. The training data is stored in Amazon S3 (P…
- A data engineering team is designing a data lake on AWS for machine learning workloads. The data includes structured, se…
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This MLS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the MLS-C01 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.